Article written by Daniel Sherwin dsherwin@dadsolo.com DadSolo.com

Going into the pregnancy as healthy as possible can reduce complications and make the pregnancy easier. You don't need expensive prenatal exercise classes to stay healthy. Simply walking or swimming on your own is effective.

Prenatal exercise benefits include less back pain, decreased constipation, better sleep, and shortened labor, according to Mayo Clinic. Check with your prenatal care provider to ensure exercise is safe for your situation.

Check on prenatal vitamins from different sources. You can get prescription or over-the-counter prenatals, so compare the costs to find the cheapest option.

Working remotely has its benefits for parents. Balancing parenting with work while your little ones are around, though, can feel like a tightrope walk. Liz Foster offers these tips for how to better manage remote work with children. 
 
1. Perfect Your Workstation
Having the kids in the home while you try to work is going to be distracting enough, even if your partner or another caregiver is watching them, so you need to have a workstation that is set up to limit distractions as much as possible. If you’re able, establish your office in a separate room or area of the house. Consider putting up a screen or room divider if you need to be in the same area so that you aren’t visually distracted.
 
Invest in a quality pair of noise-canceling headphones. If your cellphone isn’t necessary for work, keep it put away so that notifications won’t steal your attention away from work. Likewise, you should remove any apps from your computer that aren’t work-related to limit distraction.
 
2. Commit to a Schedule
Adults working from home benefit from a schedule, as do kids, according to the Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center. Establish one early on and don’t deviate from it unless absolutely necessary. Plan activities that are engaging for your kids that aren’t noisy and can be self-managed. Make “quiet time” part of your schedule so that kids know there are times during the day when they need to be particularly quiet to accommodate any meetings you must attend.
 
Incorporate breaks into your day for the benefit of both you and your kids, and consider eating lunch together when possible to give your children some face time with you. This will help everyone recharge for the remainder of the workday, as well as help lessen distractions. If children know they will have scheduled time with you each day, it can minimize their desire to interrupt your work as they'll know they can talk to you later. 
 
3. Plan for Emergencies
Even the best-made plans fail sometimes, so it’s important to have contingencies for when things go awry. Have emergency childcare in place in case you or your regular childcare provider are unable to watch the kids. When that isn’t available, have an emergency “bag of tricks” with ways to entertain and engage your children safely that can allow you to still work. This might include a movie you know the kids would love to see, a special art project that can be self-directed or a new toy that can entertain them for a few hours while you finish your work.
 
4. Adjust When Necessary
If your current setup isn’t working for you, consider going back to school online to earn a degree that can get you closer to your desired job in business, healthcare, education, and other industries. Many of these can be completed at your own pace so that you won’t have to worry about school getting in the way of your current job or caring for your children. If you want to continue working from home, there are many options in high demand, including website building and design and digital marketing. Do your research to see what profession will give you the opportunity to work and parent in a way you can be proud of.
 
Parenting while working from home can be tough, but the difficult bits can be managed with the right practices implemented and strong backup plans. Do your best, knowing at least your children will see you working hard to give them the life they deserve. 

​Written by Justin Bennett justinbennett@healthyfit.info

There are so many items that you'll find on any suggested baby registry. And it's overwhelming! Below are the bare basics of what you would need in preparation for baby's and mom's needs.

Essentials Baby Registry
​
For Baby

• Nose Freida Snot Sucker
• Baby saline spray
• Woolino sleep sacks
• Swaddle blankets
• Diapers
• Diaper cream/balm
• Baby wipes (Water Wipes)
• First-Aid kit (FridaBaby Bitty Bundle of Joy, Kinsa digital thermometer, baby nail clippers)
• Onesies (at least 4-8 long-sleeve and 4-8 short-sleeve) – magnet snap or zipper
• 3-5 Fleece booties & hats
• Bouncy seat
• Baby moisturizer
• Burp cloths
• Baby shampoo and soap

Sleeping

• Arms Reach Co-Sleeper
• A napper or lounger
• *Red light option* night light
• Hushh portable white noise machine

If bottle feeding

• Bottles
• Baby-safe dish soap
• Drying rack

For Mainstay recovery areas

• Moses basket for bedside or couch-time diaper changes
• Basket liner
• Diaper caddy (for mom snacks/hydration, diapers, wipes, diaper cream, snot sucker, etc)
• Diaper-designated small trashcan (one for upstairs and for downstairs next to the changing basket)

For outings

• Diaper bag/backpack
• Baby carrier (Lillebaby or Ergo)
• Car seat
• Stroller (ideally convertible)
• Portable changing station

For mom's postpartum recovery

• Sitting donut cushion
• Sitz bath and/or herbal spray
• Maxi pads
• Comfortable mesh underwear
• Peri bottle (put some sitz tea in this bottle)
• Tucks Witch hazel pads
• Dermaplast
• Ibuprofen
• Bekung belly binding fabric (optional)

For nursing

• Breast pads
• Nipple cream
• Cooling breast gel pads
• Breast pump
• Milk storage bags
• Haakaa pump
• Nursing bras/camis
• Pumping hands-free bra
• One-hand snacks
• Water bottle
• Glider rocker and ottoman

You shouldn’t need these until at least 4 months:

• Baby Tylenol
• Crib (crib sheets, blankets, etc)
• Small attachable booster chair for feeding around 6 months
• Feeding tools (bibs, utensils, plates)
• Baby food containers
• Amber teething necklace
• Silicone teether toys
• Baby learning toys and books (Lovevery subscription)

Every doula is different in what they carry in their doula bag to support clients for birth. Over the years, I have learned that less is more. However, there are quite a few tried and true tools that I continue to carry to every birth, regardless of their frequency in use.

I used to carry everything under the sun that I thought I needed. As the years passed by, I learned which items in my bag were merely just taking up space vs. ones that I actually used. That being said, there are some random items that I thought would never be used and just recently, they were a life-saver to a client.

​Certain items I thought I needed but don't are:

• A deck of cards: I thought I would use them during boredom...nobody has ever been bored.
• Portable speaker: Clients usually bring their own.
• A notepad and pen: Phones fix that
• Rebozo: A hospital bed sheet has helped many situations where a rebozo could be helpful.

Here is the list of essentials, in my opinion. After attending 100 births:

• Snacks: honey sticks are WHERE.IT'S.AT. So are walnuts, coconut water and nut butter packets
• TENS unit: So helpful during an intense labor pattern.
• Kleenex: Hospital tissue paper will rub your nose raw.
• Stevia & Dairy-free creamer packets: Hospitals offer coffee, but regular sugar/creamer.
• Massage tools: My hands are the primary tool, but others can come in handy for partners.
• Phone charger: Long hours.
• Energy tablets: For doula or partner, they dissolve into water for long births.
• Portable fan: Surprisingly popular and it can hang around mom's neck if need be.
• Batteries: For the fan and TENS unit
• The Labor Progress Handbook: When it's 4am and I can't think straight, a handbook on all the how-to's come in clutch.
• Tea Lights: Usually used for bathtub birth cave ambience.
• Scissors: Honey sticks don't open well with teeth. 
• Personal toiletries (face wipes, hairbrush, toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash, dry shampoo, eye drops, etc)
• Doula certification: Hospitals ask for it nowadays
• Non-scented massage lotion: Massage is necessary
• Medical pants/jacket/Doula shirt: The professional doula uniform
• Neck pillow: For labors when we all can get some shuteye
• Eye mask: See above
• Hand sanitizer: Just in case
• Medical Emergency Kit (gloves, baby hat, chux pads, blanket)
• Stress balls: A big hit for stressful contractions
• Ball pump: Hospitals will either over or under fill birth balls
• Icy Hot Pack: Laboring is strenuous and moms get hot or cold
• Colgate Wisps & Breath Mints: Vomiting is normal, stinky breath shouldn't be

Certain items not listed because I always keep in my purse:

• Breath mints/spray/gum: See above
• DONA certified doula name tag: So I don't get confused with being a nurse
• My business cards: Networking with new provideres
• Water bottle: Doulas need hydration too
• Hair ties, clips and headband: For laboring mom and myself
• Cash: For vending machines for partner or myself
• Headphones: If there is downtime, Netflix on my phone is nice
• Bach's Rescue Remedy: Back to back births are no joke on a doula 
• Deodorant: BO is not pleasant for a laboring mom to smell from support people
• Flashlight: Just in case we have a surprise baby in the tub and I happen to be there
• Chapstick: For mom and myself
• Ibuprofen: Long births can create headaches

I am adding to my bag:

• A new Rice sock: They get dirty quickly because they are used to often for back pain
• Kneeling pad: For bathtub support time between partner and myself
• Alcohol pads: A trick I learned from an L&D nurse. The smell quickly dissolves nausea faster than medication or even essential oils
• Handheld mirror: For those crazy mamas who want to see their baby come out
• Energy shots: Mostly for partners, but if I need a jolt, HEYO!
• Ice pack: Because hospitals take forever to grab one