Postpartum Depression: Mith or Reality??

I was one of those people that used to say that a new mom was just being selfish, don't know how to care a newborn, or is just not fit to be a mother at all because of the way they treat their kids. Hearing news of mothers drowning, suffocating and other things their kids weeks after having a baby made think that that person was just crazy way before having a baby. But now that I had a baby makes me think, is postpartum depression a real thing? I tackled the issue right away 'cause I don't want to be the next crazy lady on the news because of something I wasn't supposed to do. Started researching on internet and found that is more complicated than what i though. And right then I called my OBGYN and arranged an appointment to speak about it just to make sure it was not happening to me, all because I cried one night that my baby was awake crying because of gas not passing and I didn't know what to do anymore to make her feel better. Thanks God baby blues or postpartum depression is not happening to me, crying in the very beginning is normal, you are adjusting you life to fit you baby in it and it can be overwhelming, but is very easy to jump from being fine to being depressed. Crying once in a while is normal, does not make you depress but it release tension, so do it if you need to. And if you are overwhelm with the duties don't hesitate to look for help from family members and friends.   Any time you feel different, with weird toughs run to the doctor 'cause talking about it it will make you feel a whole better and if you need help they will be able to give it to you before is late. In this link you will find very helpful information about baby blues or postpartum depression and how identify if you are suffering from it: http://www.babybluesconnection.org/bbc/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Myths_and_Facts_about_perinatal_mood_disorders.pdf

Going to a doctor and talk about postpartum depression DOES NOT make you weak, it makes you smart: you are taking care of you and you child. Is a disease and is treatable and temporary with professional help, educate yourself about it and speak up!!!

Breastfeeding without pain???

According to +Wikipedia Breastfeeding is the feeding of an infant or young child with breast milk directly from female human breasts (i.e., via lactation) rather than using infant formula from a baby bottle or other container. +BabyCenter says Breastfeeding is best for your baby, and it's good for your health, too.
I found out that all of this is true, but they have no idea on how difficult it can be. When my baby was born I was determine to breastfeed her, not because of me but because I wanted her to have the best I can give her. First milk, called colostrum, was going to give her protection against infections, but got very  frustrated when my baby did not wanted to latch, and worst, my breasts got engorge making it even more difficult and painful. Impotence got the best of me and TEARS started running down my face. Good thing that the hospital had a pump and classes for new moms on how to breastfeed successfully. another thing that helped me a lot were forums full of women that were going through the same thing as me.

After days of struggling, now I can say that my baby is being fully breastfed, she is 7 weeks old and doing great!!! So, my advise?? Do not give up, it will hurt, it will make you cry, it will be difficult, but at the end it will be the best for both, mom and baby.

Weddings, the begining of the ever after???

So I've heard that "they got married and lived a happily ever after". But is it really true? No, no, no... From my own experience I must say that, for the happily ever after be for ever, you need to work really hard everyday. One thing to take in consideration is that you husband/wife is a different person with its own thinking. And is more complicated when both are from different countries, like my case. Culture plays a big part when it comes into getting in senseless arguments. But, on another note, you can make those differences work for you. For example, my husband thinks that Italian food is the best and because of it, he is the chef in the house, of course I have to do everything else, but really enjoy what he cooks, 'cause, I must say, is delicious. Marriage have here and there happily ever after, you just need to find out how to make it happen.

Baby Shower on a Budget!!!!

How much is much???
The moment I knew I was pregnant I started thinking about a Baby shower, since is the first thing you do to celebrate the arrival of you precious cargo. Is it a girl or a boy??? These days the sex of an unborn don't really matter for a Baby Shower because is all about a theme and that theme can be a neutral theme that you can apply to both sex. I decided to go ahead and start buying things for the day of the party, finding lots of things on sale and that I could do myself like a diaper motorcycle, diaper cake, table center piece, favors, cupcakes toppings, etc, saving a lot of money. another thing I wanted were games and I googled it and came up with my own version of those games, the result??? Very happy guests.

Don't be afraid and have fun planing, either if it is for you or someone else the Baby Shower of anyone's dream doesn't have to make a hole in you pocket (I did my own and I had a blast).

Paying a professional photographer for any occasion????

 I always speak about budget, specially now that I had to stop working and become a full time mom. One thing I wanted for sure were gorgeous pictures to capture all the special moments were happening in my life: wedding, pregnancy, baby shower, having my baby just to mention some. But to have those beautiful pictures do I need to hire a professional photographer??? what a dilema since budget is everything these days. I found out that in order to have professional pictures by a professional photographer you need minimum of $500.00, multiply it by the moments I already mentioned, is about $2,000.00. It was impossible for me to do that, and that's when I decided to buy a semi professional camera that will be available any time making any moment special (Canon or Nikon would do it). It was a wise investment since now I can capture any moment of any day, no matter how special it is.
Also, you can buy or download for free a Photoshop program to fix it any way you want.
This pic was taken by a Canon T4i and I used Microsoft digital Photoshop. Aren't we all look stoning???!!!

Fancy and sassy while pregnant...

Fashion and pregnancy. I couldn't put those two together before I actually had to. But with a budget to keep it was, no doubt, a big headache. Maternity clothes are, as I found out, very expensive and tricky, and still I wanted to look sassy and fancy to lift my spirit and for my husband too. So what did I do??? Went to a regular store and made sure all the clothes I got were two sizes biger than what I was and it worked for me since I didn't gain that much weight,  just adjust it depending on you weight gain. Another smart thing to do is to ask friends that were already pregnant if they had some maternity clothes they don't use anymore, and if you don't like that idea, then third store might be what you are looking for since you can find even new clothes for just a couple of bucks.
Fashion and pregnancy DO go together without making a hole to you pocket.
So, what are you or did you do to be sassy and fancy while pregnant???
Just as an example, in this picture I have a dress I had on my closet, is a size medium (I was already 9mo when this picture was taken) and it fitted perfectly. Accoesories made the trick to put it together. Just have fun with what you have while you can.