Happy Chinese New Year and Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Chinese New Year and Happy Valentine’s Day?

When I was a kid, Chinese New Year meant I got little red envelopes filled with money and we ate lots of food.  Now as an adult we still eat lots of food, but it’s about more than red envelopes-it’s about family and tradition.

This year the first day of the Chinese New Year is February 14th, which also happens to be Valentine’s Day.  So you can bring on the red and pink and say “Gung Hey Fat Choy and I Love You!”

It’s the Year of the Tiger. The Tiger is the 3rd sign in the Chinese Zodiac cycle and it is a sign of bravery.   Unllike the Western Zodiac which is based on birthdates, the Chinese Zodiac is based on birth years. Year of the Tiger is said to be filled with drama and there is often tension and unpredictability in the air. Astrologers say 2010 will bring far reaching changes for everyone.  What's your sign and what's ahead for you in 2010?  Click here. 

Traditionally before the new year, you should clean the house-out with the old to welcome the new. On New Year’s Eve the family comes together to celebrate with a big dinner and to welcome the new year with happiness, success, good fortune and luck. On New Year’s Day you should wear brand new clothes and decorate the house with red symbols.

Since I have a newborn and a toddler, my house is “sort of” clean, my parents are coming to my house instead, were having a New Year’s Day lunch, I’m still wearing my maternity shirts and my house is decorated with my son’s fingerpaint art. Who says you can’t create your own traditions?

But we are still having a big feast. It’s amazing to me how much symbolism is in the food. A traditional meal should always include a whole fish-this represents success, dumplings-this symbolizes money and prosperity, and noodles stand for longevity.

As for the red envelopes, it’s a way to pass on good luck to the next generation so now that I’m an adult, I’ll be the one giving them out.

Oh My Aching Back!

    I am now six weeks postpartum and I just got my doctors OK to get back into my exercise routine. With a toddler and a newborn one thing I need to be mindful of is my back. I never had back problems, until I became a mom.  After my first was born I remember all the late night feedings, rocking to sleep, into the crib, out of the crib, until one night I bent over to put him down and I couldn't move.  I guess that's what people mean when they say my back went out. 

     Then with my second, my back pain came in the third trimester.  She was sitting on my nerve endings for the last month and the only time I wasn't in pain was when I was sitting still, but with a toddler how do you do that?   

     But how do you prevent getting injured in the first place? What should moms know during pregnancy and postpartum?  I asked Chiropractor Dr. Dalya Rubanenko. 

What are the most common problems/issues you see in pregnant women?

• 2/3 of expectant mothers will suffer low back and pelvis pain by week 36. One reason is the hormone called relaxin and the second is the change in body structure. Relaxin is present in 10x the normal concentration in expectant mothers. This hormone relaxes the joints in the pelvis so that the baby has room to pass through the birth canal, unfortunately it can cause abnormal motion in many joints and cause inflammation and pain. It's a misconception that pregnant women have various pains because of the weight gain. I will often see women in their 14th week with severe low back or midback pain.   
• Besides low back pain (more often right side over left), sacroiliitis pain, sciatica, mid back pain (along the bra line), headaches and neck pain, pubic symphysis pain, carpal tunnel sydrome (secondary to pregnancy), round ligament strains, swelling in the lower legs, calf cramps and foot pain (plantar fasciitis) are common.

What can women do proactively to avoid these problems?

• Motion for the spine-through motion blood flow is increased in the spine which helps with healing and repair.
• Light Exercise-walking, swimming and doing light weights early on in the pregnancy can help prevent pain in the future. No jarring or bouncing motions are not recommended.  
• Strengthen low back and core early on in pregnancy.
• Increase upper body strength -The baby may only be 6-10 lbs, however the constant carrying of the baby, lifting of the car seat and other baby equipment and other activities often puts a lot of undue stress on a woman's upper body leading to neck pain and upper back pain. 
• Get a pregnancy brace in the 3rd trimester-The right brace can make all the difference between being housebound vs. working and/or doing the necessary errands. 

How do you treat these problems?

• Ice over heat. Heat will make you feel better, ice will GET YOU BETTER. Preferably a soft gel pack for 15 minutes on the site of pain (never on the abdomen).  Ice goes through four stages. Cold, burny, achy and numb. In order for it to be beneficial it needs to get to the numb stage. So hang in there. The first three stages pass within 3 minutes.
• Often expectant women have sacroiliitis (low back pain) with associated sciatica (leg pain) because the relaxin has caused the SACRO-ILIAC joint to slightly shift.  A very gentle adjustment of that joint (or whichever joint has shifted incorrectly) there is significant improvement of the symptoms within 1-5 days in most cases.
• Having adjustments every one to two weeks throughout your pregnancy will help to keep your joints moving properly. I usually combine the adjustments with massage. 

What are some simple exercises women can do?

• Standing extensions-Rocking backwards, while your feet are placed hip length apart and then standing up straight  (10-15 every hour). This will slacken the nerve root and also bring blood flow into the spine. You may feel some light pressure in your abdominal area, but you will feel a decrease in pain. This cobra like stretch can be done very early on in the pregnancy (up to week 14, depending on a woman's growth) to help give relief. Later on in the pregnancy this can be performed on pregnancy tables.
• Upper body strengthening- Bicep curls, half pushups, hammer curls and rotator cuff strengthening are really important. 
• Single Leg Raises-During the third trimester many pregnant women are slightly off balance  because of the shift of their body weight. I have seen many women in my office who have tripped or stepped off a curb incorrectly or with ankle strains. To prevent this, I emphasize simple exercises like single leg raises to strengthen the calves and also standing on one foot during the day to improve their balance.
• Quadricep Stretches-The hip flexors can also become shortened and tighter during pregnancy. Simply doing quadricep stretches while standing on one leg or placing a knee on a chair and leaning backwards can help prevent the hip flexor tightness and decrease low back pain.

Dr. Dalya Rubanenko , also known as "Dr. Ruby" is a licensed Chiropractor serving the San Diego community for 10 years and has worked with dozens of pregnant women and new moms.

Kitchen Helper vs. Learning Tower

Guidecraft Kitchen Helper and Little Partners Learning Tower
If your looking for a stepstool for your toddler- here's a better long-term alternative that is safe. They look identical and do pretty much the same thing, but how do you choose between the two.  Now that my son is almost 2 he loves helping in the kitchen and being with everyone.  When I was pregnant it was hard to pick him up all the time to wash his hands and he kept trying to stand on his tippy toes and pull things off of the table and counter, which was dangerous. Then my friend told me about these products, but which one do you choose?


Click Here to see a video comparing the two products.  You decide.


I decided to go with the Little Partners Learning Tower. It's a little more expensive than the kitchen helper, but seemed more sturdy and can fit 2 kids, which is good for me since I have 2 now. The kitchen helper folds up so it's more convenient if you want to hide it away. I'll give you a full review once my son gets some use out of it.

My Favorite Strollers

Bob Duallie 12"Double Stroller

With a new baby and a toddler I need a double stroller.  For months I debated front and back or side by side.  In the end I stuck with the BOB, which is what I have now and got a Duallie Side by Side. The Bob Stroller with regular wheels is slightly cheaper, but I like the smaller size of the 12" and since I don't really use it for jogging I don't need the bigger wheels.   I just love how The BOB maneuvers, at first I thought it would be too heavy, but it's really easy to use and my husband loves it too.

But if you want to use it for your baby you need the infant car seat adapter which also allows you to add a snack tray for your toddler which comes with it.

Inglesina Umbrella Stroller

This is the stroller I use for quick trips, travel and when I was pregnant and couldn't lift the Bob out of the car.  It's inexpensive, lightweight, and it reclines slightly.  I debated between this and Maclaren, but in the end I'm glad I went with Inglesina, especially with the recall.

Graco Snap n Go Stroller

This is what I used for my son until about 5 months and now my daughter when they can sit up in a regular stroller.  I just snap in my Graco Snugride Car Seat and I'm all set.

How to Induce Labor Naturally

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Happy New Year! So I finally had my baby-4 days late, which isn’t that long, but since it was my second baby and I was expecting her to come early, everyday got more and more frustrating. Texts and e-mails-"Any baby yet?" No, not yet! I didn’t want to induce and my doctor had scheduled one that week depending on how my tests went as far as amniotic fluid levels and size. So I was feeling the pressure. Everything looked okay so far there was no reason yet to start the pitocin. I started searching for ways to induce naturally. The most common suggestions are of course walking, sex, spicy foods, etc. Here's a link for more suggestions. I was really big and heavy and my back was hurting, but I walked and walked. This is me at the zoo three days before I finally gave birth. I was getting contractions and thought today is the day. People were looking at me funny. Then nothing-it was false labor, but a few days later I gave birth to healthy 9 lb. 8oz. girl. Yikes!
Acupressure points video 
I don’t know if any of these methods actually worked. But the night before I went into labor I did acupressure massage, self visualization, and danced with my husband for an hour.  So if you are waiting like I was and getting frustrated you might want to give it a try. Can't hurt.  For my birth story checkout my blog "A Nurse Delivered My Baby" on MomLogic. 

Nursery to Transportation Toddler Room

Now that my son's crib was passed down to his baby sister, what do I do with him?  He had outgrown his turquoise and mocha beach theme nursery and was ready for a "sort of" big kid room. But since he is only 19 months he's not ready for a toddler room yet and I'm not ready for him to crawl out of bed on his  own -so that meant another crib.

So I decided to get a convertible crib in espresso-Baby's Dream Serenity. So soon it will convert to toddler bed and then with new rails a twin bed. Then instead of a changing table I bought a dresser.

For all his toys I needed storage. I love this 6-Cube Bookcase
in espresso filled with canvas storage bins and metal buckets all from The Land of Nod to pull all the colors together.

As a tribute to his love of trucks and trains I went with a transportation theme. What is it with boys and thier choo choo's ? He can't get enough.  Notice how I left a few of his white nursery items behind-so what if they don't match. It allowed me to leave a few of his baby things in the room.

I like to keep things simple, being pregnant I didn't want a whole remodel so I went with decals and art to change up the room and central theme colors of red and blue to go with the dark wood.

                                                               TheseTransportation Decals

are great, they are inexpensive, look good and peel right off like stickers and you can reuse them over and over in different locations.  I put them on the door, used them to dress up his trash can, and even made art work out of them. I just took some canvas painted them blue and red and put a decal on them.

I used canvas storage bins, a lamp, curtains, and personalized chair and other Land of Nod accessories to pull all the colors together.  He also loves his
transportation rug. For more nursery and room decorating ideas check out Project Nursery.

Cherry Blossom Nursery

This is basically my son's old white crib-now accented with pink for my new baby girl. I wanted the room to be feminine, but not over the top pink so I went with pink with mocha accents. My walls are already a subtle golden cream so instead of painting I went with a Cherry Blossom Wall Decal. The Ivory Bowron Sheepskin Shorn Baby Rug  adds a cozy feel. I used mix n match separates for the crib. The bumper and diaper holder are Pottery Barn Petals, the sheet is organic pink and the skirt is a subtle pink stripe from KidsLine. In the corner if you look closely I also added a little Hello Kitty trashcan for fun.



White Wall Flowers
also add a breezy beautiful touch. They come with tacks you can nail into the wall, but I used removable wall putty instead because I didn't want holes in the wall.



For the wall art I just framed beautiful design paper I bought from Michael's.



I also got a new video monitor. It even comes in pink! 

Summer Infant Day & Night Handheld Color Video Monitor 1.8 It's the same one I got when my son was born. It's been great for almost 2 years and now with an extra camera and monitor I can used it to see both rooms because there is an A and B channel.