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One of the biggest dilemmas that I faced while pregnant was my clothing options.  I didn’t find out that I was pregnant until late November and I was due the beginning of August.  I would have to go through THREE seasons worth of clothes before the baby came and I didn’t want to spend a fortune on a wardrobe that I would only wear a few months.

One of the first things I purchased was a belly band.  Several stores carry them (such as Target and Motherhood Maternity).  This helped me get a few more weeks out of my pants.  It also helped towards the end of my pregnancy to give extra support. 
The next things I purchased were all items that could interchange and get multiple uses out of them.  A simple black dress, a pair of jeans, a pair of khakis and multiple t-shirts.  I found deals at Gap Maternity and Old Navy Maternity.   Old Navy Maternity is great, especially online because you can check out all the clearance items.  I was able to get a swim suit for $10.  I thought that was a pretty good deal.

As the weather heated up, I purchased a few pairs of cropped pants and few pairs of shorts.  While I couldn’t wear the shorts to work, they came in handy on the weekends.  I also found a few good deals at Target.com for sundresses.  I was disappointed by the selection at the Target store itself.  It seems as though they only have one to two racks of maternity wear.  So the selections were not great, but they still had a few items here and there.  Also note that Target’s maternity clothes do not always follow your usual size as many brands do.

Being pregnant and having cravings seem to go hand in hand.  When I was pregnant there were three things that I seemed to really crave… lemonade, Chinese food and milkshakes.  Now I never had all three at one sitting – it was more of a different craving each trimester.

When I first found out I was pregnant I didn’t realize all the foods that you cannot eat or shouldn’t eat because it could affect the baby.  One of the main foods that I was told to stay away from was lunch meat.  There are two main concerns for pregnant women eating lunch meat – the nitrates and listeria (a bacteria in lunch meat).  Some people believe it is ok to eat lunch meat as long as it is cooked to a certain temperature – I just played it safe and avoided it all together until after the baby was born.

This however posed another issue, what was I going to pack for lunches? I enjoy sandwiches for lunch.  It is easy to pack and pretty economical as well.  I could bring cheese sandwiches, but let’s face it cheese on bread isn’t that appealing day after day (and there are a lot of days in the 10 months of pregnancy).   I went another route, which could cause my son to have some allergies when he is older.  I opted for peanut butter sandwiches.  I have read that all that peanut butter could cause him to have allergies but chances are slim.  Granted I am not a doctor so I suggest if you are going to go the peanut butter route to consult your OBGYN first.

Today’s Musings for Moms column is about persistence.  All moms must have to have it and as a new mom, I am discovering if you don’t, you are leaving some important issues to chance. As you can imagine, leaving things to chance is not a good thing for new moms. Furthermore, this is not going to be my typical type of article; this is going to be more of a letter from the heart.

You see, I gave birth to an amazing little boy in August.  My pregnancy was actually pretty smooth until the last few weeks when walking became increasingly difficult as the bulk of my pregnancy weight was putting added pressure on my back and knees.

My issues didn’t start until after the little one was born.  About a month after his birth I had a hemorrhaging episode.  I was freaking out, thinking this could not be normal but it only lasted a few minutes and stopped as if nothing happened at all.  I called my OBGYN and she told me that this was “normal” as my body is trying to regulate itself.

As a new mom, I have been doing a lot of research on vaccines. One of the vaccines that has been catching my attention is this H1N1 flu shot. Mind you that H1N1 is completely different than the regular flu and requires its own vaccine. The virus is a combination of four known strains of influenza A virus: one endemic in humans, one endemic in birds, and two endemic in pigs (swine). However, how safe is the vaccine that can supposedly prevent it? How much research was done on the side effects? Will it really prevent the H1N1? These are some of the questions that I have been asking myself.

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Illustration: How a flu strain develops

The amount of people that have died with this flu is astounding and very scary especially since my baby is too young to get the vaccination. Globally, the number of official cases of those infected is in the hundreds of thousands. Deaths caused by the virus number in the thousands. What am I supposed to do as a working mother who has to send my child to daycare where he could possibly be exposed to this horrible flu?

My baby is two-months-old. He doesn’t know to keep his hands out of his mouth or wash his hands. His main concerns right now are eating, sleeping and farting. So what can I do as a parent to protect myself and my son from this flu?

First let me explain the symptoms of the H1N1. According to the CDC’s website the symptoms “include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people may have vomiting and diarrhea. People may be infected with the flu, including 2009 H1N1 and have respiratory symptoms without a fever. Severe illnesses and deaths have occurred as a result of illness associated with this virus.”

What we can do to prevent H1N1 Spreading

As the vaccine isn’t wide spread yet, and only being distributed to certain categories, there are some things we can do according to the CDC to protect ourselves and prevent spreading of this flu. These remedies actually help fight against the common cold as well.

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it. If a tissue is not available, do not cough/sneeze into your hands, use your elbow to cover your mouth/nose. --Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use a hand sanitizer that is alcohol based.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
• Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
• If you are sick with flu-like illness, CDC recommends that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities. (Your fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.) Keep away from others as much as possible to keep from making others sick.

Is the vaccine safe?

As for safety concerns, it appears the H1N1 vaccine is being produced identically to seasonal flu vaccine. By most accounts, the same manufacturers who make the seasonal flu vaccine are making the H1N1 vaccine using the same methods and safeguards used over the years to produce seasonal flu vaccine.  So it would appear it is no more dangerous than the typical flu vaccine many people get this time of the year.  Unfortunatley, my baby is too young for the vaccine.  If you are able to get one, you should not have any more worry than you would associate with a typical flu vaccine.  If you can't get the vaccine, remember that as contagious as the H1N1 virus is, the best way to fight it is through education, diligence and good old fashioned sanitary habits.

Nicole Sebula is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh and covering the North Hills area for AcrossRoss.com.