Making Pregnancy Discomforts Tolerable

I am 8.5 months pregnant ... and have been ready to get this child of mine "out" since the fourth month.  The first 3 months were only tolerable because I knew it was not uncommon to be nauseated or exhausted (especially when you have a 1 year old toddler running around).

When the nausea and vomitting didn't stop after my first trimester, I became less tolerant of the symptoms.  The sciatica, which was my only complaint during my first pregnancy, returned by the time I was 9 weeks pregnant.  Accompanying it was lower back pain, shoulder pain, neck pain, "charlie horses", major headaches, stabbing chest pains, and extreme shortness of breath - when sitting down, standing still, or moving about - and a slew of other symptoms that although fairly normal pregnancy symptoms are not supposed to be major issues during your second trimester.

All the symptoms still persist.  I feel nauseated daily, still vomit (although at least not daily anymore), have massive headaches on a regular basis, get so short of breath (when doing anything or nothing at all) that I get dizzy spells.  I still have aches and pains (although again, at this point in my pregnancy many of the aches and pains are expected).  Had my first pregnancy been anything at all like this, my son would be an only child - I cannot for the life of me understand why anyone would do this again if they felt like this the first time - essentially I have felt extremely unwell for almost 9 months.

Why am I telling you all this?  Because as awful as I feel most days, I have found a couple of solutions that have made my pregnancy a little easier, more comfortable and tolerable.  Because they have made me feel better throughout my pregnancy I have chosen to offer them at Storks & Berries - my online store - so as to help alleviate some of the discomforts of pregnancy felt by other women.  I want to share with you my two favourite pregnancy "coping strategies".

Belly Blossom Belly Balm by Mother Earth Natural Products is one of those products I tried on a whim and then felt compelled to share with other pregnant women ... thus, I added it to Storks & Berries.  It doesn't completely alleviate my nausea when it is at its worst, but it does make it bearable and allow me to get some rest; if, however, the nausea is mild to moderate it does take it away for a while - offering a much needed reprieve from the awful feeling.  It smells great and feels so good on my itchy, stretching tummy.  Belly Blossom Belly Balm is made without preservatives, perfumes, dyes, or any synthetic ingredients; it contains only organically grown and wild herbs from Vancouver Island.  I recommend this product to anyone who is pregnant and strongly encourage you to try it if you are at all nauseated during your pregnancy.  As an added bonus, this product is currently on sale at Storks & Berries as part of our 1-year celebration!

Another great product that I couldn't survive without is the DreamWeaver Full Body Pillow.  This pillow is so incredibly comfortable, it supports me in all the needed places - my back, legs, neck, and even my overextended tummy!  I haven't yet used it as a "nursing pillow" and it's not designed to be one; however, I can definitely see how it can be used as one.  A great feature of this pillow is that it is machine washable - so you can stop worrying about all the stuff that is growing in your pillow and just throw it in the wash!  Whether or not you are pregnant, this pillow is definitely worth checking out and considering ... it's definitely worth the cost ten times over!

I hope you will check out these super-terrific products if you are pregnant and suffering discomfort ... or if you know someone else who is (both of these products make a great gift!).

Thanks for reading!

Welcome to Storks & Berries New Blog!

Storks & Berries, my online web store, is a year old this month!  It has been a great year for my little business venture.  Not only has my store grown and improved, so have I as a business owner.  I have learnt a great deal, developed some great business relationships, and (most importantly!), I have gained a group of loyal customers who return time and again to shop at Storks & Berries and who help spread the word about Storks & Berries by telling their friends and family about my little store and their experiences there.  My vision for Storks & Berries, although pretty grand to begin with, has grown and adjusted with my expanding business knowledge.  I have great plans for my business, and plans to perhaps even venture into other online businesses in the near future.

As an online business I feel somewhat compelled to keep up with the changing times.  Blogging is fast becoming a great way for businesses to share information about their products, the research they have done, offer special promotions to followers, and connect with their (potential) customers.  Thus, here I am today, writing the first blog for my website.  I have, admittedly, avoided blogging for the most part until now because I do enjoy writing and I am quite liable to overdo my blogs ... especially in length (I can be quite wordy when I am expressing a thought or idea :).  I can also be shy about publishing my writing ... but they say you cannot truly grow until you leap outside of your comfort zone.

I am going to use my new blog to express a range of thoughts and ideas (from business & product related blogs to environmental issues, futures oriented thoughts,  and other random things that come to my mind).  I will write about the tips and tricks I have learnt about cloth diapering, babywearing, and so much more.  I will offer product reviews - and, yes, I would be thrilled to review products that I don't currently offer at Storks & Berries (so please contact me for consideration if you have a product you would like reviewed ... and promoted!) - and, occasionally, I will offer giveaways once my list of followers increases.  From time to time, I may blog about my little munchkin(s), who bring me so much joy and laughter each day ... and sometimes a little frustration that needs to be blown off after bed time :).  It is a new journey for me ... an exciting change in the making ... and I am open to thoughts and suggestions if you have any ideas for what would make a great blog post!

So who am I anyways ... this new blogger that wants you to follow their written thoughts and ideas?  I am many things to many people - thus, it is often hard to know where to begin when answering such a question.  I am the wife of a wonderful, loving husband.  I am mommy to the world's sweetest, cutest, laughter-inducing little toddler.  I am a pregnant woman who is both extremely excited about the upcoming birth of her second child but also terrified that she is not up to handling two children under the age of 2!  I am a new business owner ... striving to make my way in the growing world of online baby and toddler boutiques specializing in cloth diapers and environmentally friendly products.  I am the hopeful business owner of another one or two successful online ventures which I have yet to begin.  I am daughter to my parents who did a fantastic job of raising me ... even if they don't always understand where I am heading or why I have trouble focusing on one career.  I am sister to my best-friend and auntie to her 3 wonderful children (2 nieces and a nephew) ... all of whom I adore.  Not enough for you?  I am a registered nurse who works in a small rural hospital in Alberta, practicing in emergency and active care, frustrated with the direction that nursing is being "herded into" as it is not what I signed up for anymore.  I am someone who worked in project management and programming during the Y2K era - and survived.  I am a perfectionist, someone who loves organizing ... and moving to organize!  I am a traveler at heart, a wanderer really ... always searching for something that I haven't yet found - but which I truly believe is out there waiting for me to stumble upon.  Oh ... and, of course, I am a Canadian - and proud to be one as there is no greater place in the world to me.  I am all these things, yet so much more ... and I hope that you will choose to get know me in your own way as you read my blogs!

I look forward to sharing this journey with you, to offering you some ideas for consideration, thoughts for the taking, and some of the knowledge and experience I have gained in my (eh-hem) 30 something years of wandering around.  I look forward to reading your comments and suggestions, your thoughts and ideas, and anything else you might offer as a comment from time to time.