J. Crew's new yoga line

J. Crew now has yoga clothes!

So exciting... I haven't bought anything from J. Crew in so long because I don't have quite the disposable income I had when I was young, single and fancy free (I used to shop online all the time and receive all these packages at work! My coworkers always enjoyed watching me open up a new purchase.) Even though I don't buy it, I still love J. Crew's look - especially the yoga bag. A little pricey at $70, but it's a bag I could use all the time (justification) plus carry my yoga mat. Maybe it could even be a diaper bag - ha!

Might be a good Mother's Day present for myself. :)

The true guide of life

"Parents often think that they are here to guide the little ones. When - in reality - the little ones come forth with clarity to guide you."

~ Abraham-Hicks

Read this quote in my inbox the other day, and immediately knew I had to post it on my blog. WOW! How cool and true is this quote? What is this new little being going to teach me? Definitely has already taught me patience in waiting for him or her to arrive, let alone not knowing the gender. I'm so excited to see what me and my hubby will learn.

Weekly appointment with prelabor signs!

I had my first, weekly midwife appointment yesterday and told the nurse I thought I may have had some slight contractions for a few hours last week. Because of this, she told me the midwife would probably want to do an internal exam.

Once the midwife came into the room, she measured my belly, which was at 36 inches and listened to the heartbeat. It was in the 140s - lower than the baby's typical mid-150s but still normal. When she began feeling around for the baby, she said that she couldn't feel the head and wondered if the baby had dropped so she began the internal exam. Apparently the baby has dropped into my pelvis (also known as engaged or lightening). Lots of times, expectant mothers notice this occurrence because it takes so much pressure off of the lungs and other internal organs, and it can cause more pressure on the pubic bone... didn't feel either. Whoops.

My midwife also informed me I'm dilated to one centimeter, which apparently is more unusual for new mothers to dilate before labor but doesn't mean the baby's coming any earlier. Even with this reassurance, I felt a bit freaked since the baby isn't due until the end of the month (May 25). Ironically, I received an e-mail today from ePregnancy.com with a video about prelabor signs talking exactly about these topics and once again reassured me that experiencing lightening doesn't necessarily mean the delivery is imminent.

Time will tell! :)

Meditation for pregnant mamas

I added the DVD Yoga for Your Pregnancy to my Netflix queue and hope it will arrive early this week - love me some Netflix. I should really try to get the company to sponsor my blog. HA!

Since it's meditation Monday, thought this was a good topic to post about because according to the DVD's Web site, it includes a segment specifically focused on medititation during pregnancy. It also contains three pranayama or breathing techniques for calming the nervous system and yoga postures to try during labor. I believe I saw this DVD before but didn't realize all the cool stuff it contained. Wish I would've read the review earlier, but better late than never, right?

If anyone has tried to this DVD before, let me know what you think. I'll definitely post more about it once I try it out.

Answers to top 10 pregnancy questions

Stumbled upon an interesting article online called Pregnancy and Work Can Work. Even if you're not working during your pregnancy, it's worth reading because the article addresses the 10 most common questions about being preggers, according to the two doctors interviewed for the article:

1. How do I fit in doctor visits?
2. Is it safe to see the dentist?
3. What can be done about morning sickness and fatigue?
4. What can I do about insomnia?
5. Can I still drink coffee?
6. What should I eat?
7. Can I still hit the gym?
8. Can I travel?
9. What if I get sick?
10. How do I plan for delivery while still working?

Definitely worth checking out if you're expecting or planning to be pregnant.

I'm a little run down this week - either have a cold or allergies. I'm leaning towards the latter. Going to take some Claritin (approved by doc) now! Enjoy the rest of your weekend.