Things I’m doing differently with my 4th pregnancy

Being a 4th time mom there are a few things I plan on doing differently than I did with my 3 other pregnancies. This is my last time being pregnant EVER, and I want to enjoy it as much as possible. From taking weekly bump pictures, to wearing those corny “I’m so prego” shirts, considering Cord blood banking and even embracing the waddle, whether I’m really waddling or not. I’ve put together a list of things I plan on doing differently with this pregnancy the 4th time around. 

What I’m doing differently:

Eat what I want: So I’m not going to go crazy eating any and everything, but if I see a donut, and I want it…I’m going to eat it. If I go out to eat for dinner, I’m not going to feel bad for ordering a burger with extra bacon. With my other pregnancies, I was so crazy about everything I ate. It wasn’t about nutrition, it was about me gaining weight. I was so worried about gaining an excessive amount of weight, I was almost afraid to even eat. (Don’t worry, I ate and gained a healthy 25-30 pounds with all my pregnancies) but everyday weight gain weighed heavy on my mind. I want to enjoy this pregnancy (because it’s my last) and ENJOY my food. With that being said…that leads me to number 2

Exercise more: I do want to say more active. On top of chasing 3 busy boys all the time and walking around Disney World, I want to dedicate 2-3 days a week to spending at least 1.5 hours in the gym. My husband loves to go to the gym, so staying consistent isn’t a problem.

Take more pictures: With my first I took ZERO pictures. I didn’t even know maternity photos were a thing when I was 19 years old. With my 2nd I took pictures every single week. With my 3rd, I was so busy being a mom to an active 1 year old and 4 year old…I didn’t even think about taking pictures of my belly, and I totally regret it. So no matter how busy I think I am, I will make it a point to take 5 minutes out of my week to take pictures of my growing bump.

Sleep more: Being a blogger, I always skip out on joining the boys for nap time because that’s when I get most of my blogging work done. But in hindsight, I’m freaking exhausted. So instead of over working myself, because I have other opportunities to get blogging work done…I’m going to snuggle up next to my babies and join them for nap time. After all, us mamas and especially prego mamas need to take care of ourselves more.Not care about what people think: When I’m pregnant, I’m EXTREMELY sensitive and care too much about other people’s opinion. If someone comes up to me and say “your nose looks swollen, I’ll probably cry about it and google search “how to make my nose less swollen”. Or if someone says, “You’re pregnant again?!”, because anyone with 2 or more kids know that these comments come with it. As annoying as it is, I’m not going to care and feel the need to explain myself as to why we didn’t get my tubes tied, or why we actually want to add onto the craziness.

Seriously consider banking my baby’s Cord Blood: Now this is something I’ve always wanted to do with ALL my pregnancies, but just could never afford. Thankfully we’re in a position financially to do that now, but if we weren’t…it would still be something I’d definitely consider. It’s so important because cord blood stem cells are currently used in the treatment of a variety of conditions as part of a stem cell transplant. Preserving your newborn’s stem cells may give your child or an immediate family member, depending on the condition and other factors, the opportunity to use this resource for current cord blood therapies. As well as for potential future applications, like regenerative medicine.*  Cord Blood Registry (CBR) is a cord blood and cord tissue stem cell bank that has been around for over 20 years. They believe in the power of health families. They have many options to make it affordable for families, including payment plans or a gift registry option where friends and family can contribute toward the cost of preserving newborn stem cells. They also have the Newborn Possibilities Program® which assists families with a qualifying medical need by covering all costs for preserving their child’s newborn stem cells and storing them for 5 years.

Advancements in Newborn Stem Cell Science

CBR is helping advance stem cell research by partnering with reputable research institutions on FDA-regulated clinical trials. They’re helping to fund clinical trials to investigate the potential for newborn stem cells to treat conditions that currently have no cure, like the recently published CBR funded study led by researchers at Sutter Medical Center. The study showed that the use of a child’s own cord blood was safe in children with autism. More research is needed to understand if cord blood may help children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

To learn more about the study and their findings click here. You can also watch this video.

How it works:

Once you make the decision to collect and bank your baby’s cord blood. You can either go online HERE, call 1-888-240-1996 or request a kit from your Doctor’s Office. You will then bring the kit with you to the hospital when you’re in labor (or think you’re in labor). Make sure you let all the hospital staff attending to you know that you are banking your baby’s cord blood. Once your baby’s umbilical cord has been clamped and cut, the remaining blood is drawn into a collection bag.  After you have had some bonding time with your baby and you are able to think clearly again, call the medical courier and CBR handles the rest. They will even notify you when they have received the kit to put your mind at ease.