How Can Pregnancy Affect Your Body?

 

How Can Pregnancy Affect Your Body?

Being pregnant is a long 9 to 10 months, and that affects a woman's body in many positive and negative ways. Being pregnant puts a lot of pressure on the body because you are physically growing another human in your body, and it is good to know what could happen and how you can potentially be helped.  

Changes That Can Happen 

 

Changes in the body when pregnant can affect your outward appearance as well as inward. One of the biggest changes during pregnancy that most women go through is hormonal changes because of the change in estrogen and progesterone, and this can transfer nutrients to the womb. Also, there is weight gain which can slow down the circulation of blood and bodily fluids, particularly lower limbs, and this can sometimes result in swollen ankles and wrists. Another common change is taste and smell, which can also be referred to as cravings. Pregnant women sometimes prefer saltier or sweeter foods than non-pregnant women, as well as potentially having a metallic taste in the mouth at the beginning of the pregnancy. 

 

Many pregnant women struggle with certain odors that can make them feel nauseous and try to avoid them as much as possible. Also, changes can occur in hair and nails because of the different types of hormones during pregnancy.  

 

Not All Negative 

 

Bodily changes when pregnant don’t always have to be negative changes. A lot of women have something called ‘pregnancy glow’. This is when the mother has radiant and glowing skin which is caused by surging hormones and increased blood flow. This change doesn’t start or end at a certain point in the pregnancy, and the fluctuating hormone levels make you feel radiant and somewhat glowing. However, not all women experience this because each pregnancy is different, and some women don’t get the glowing feeling but get severe acne instead, so try to expect everything. 

 

What Can Help 

 

When it comes to certain changes, some specialists can help prevent or fix some of the issues. Another issue that a fair few pregnant women suffer from is varicose veins, and there are specialists that can help with medical conditions such as this. For example, a vein specialist at New York Metro Vein can offer professional vein treatment. Pregnancy can cause hormones to fluctuate, which can weaken the vein walls or produce more blood which can cause veins that are enlarged. This can affect women’s confidence, so if there are specialists that can help, then that is also positive. 

 

Conclusion

 

Pregnancy causes a lot of changes in the body, but it gives you the greatest gift of all, so some people would say it’s all worth it. However, some of these changes leave physical reminders that can affect your self-esteem and leave you feeling down, but there are specialists that can help with this, which gives pregnant women more options. Also, be sure to remember that change doesn’t mean danger, and most changes during pregnancy are common and perfectly normal.

 

 

6 Memorable Mother’s Day Gifts

With busy schedules, work, and social obligations, it can be easy to forget things and keep pushing things back until the last minute. A Mother’s Day gift is a great example of this. With it being so easy to forget to pick up a gift, it can also be easy to do panic buying and order something or go out and buy something that won’t be quite right.

With that in mind, you will find six items that can make great quick and easy Mother’s Day gifts below.

Sweet treats

Mothers Day chocolate gifts can be a great choice of gift. A box of chocolates never goes out of style and can be a classic gift that suits most people with a bit of a sweet tooth.

Cooking

A home-cooked meal can often be the best comforting gift that you can give. Have a look through some old, treasured recipe books or see if there is a family recipe that could be made for a perfect night. This gift is sure to be a thoughtful one.

Playlist

A love of music is universal, which is why making a playlist for someone can be a great way of demonstrating how well you know them and know what they like. It is a very thoughtful gift that shows you care in a kind gesture.

Necklace or jewelry using birthstone

Birthstones might not be the best gift option for everyone, with some people not being into that type of thing, but they can be a sweet, personalized way of showing someone that you really care about them. It’s important when buying a gift that has a birthstone in it that you are definitely sure which stone is the right one, so make sure you check and double-check the month that corresponds to the right stone.

 January – Garnet

 February- Amethyst

 March- Aquamarine

 April- Diamond

 May- Emerald

 June- Pearl or Alexandrite

 July- Ruby

 August- Peridot

 September- Sapphire

 October- Opal or Tourmaline

 November- Topaz or Citrine

 December-Turquoise, Tanzanite, Zircon

Flowers or plants

Flowers are a lovely, colorful addition to any room; they brighten up any corner and bring nature into any home. Grabbing some flowers from a local grocery store or florist is a great way of ensuring your gift is both wanted and beautiful. For a more stand-out gift, a good alternative option is a plant. Indoor plants have been growing in popularity, with more and more people choosing to decorate their homes with bursts of nature throughout different rooms. The most popular indoor house plants are:

 Monstera Deliciosa

 Snake plant

 Pothos plant

 Bird’s Nest Fern

 Rubber tree

 Spider plant

 Ivy (this can look especially good if you have it hanging)

 Dracaena plant

 Peace lily plant

 Philodendron Green plant

Pictures

A picture is (as they say) worth a thousand words, so why not frame a photo of a great family memory? Taking pictures might be common practice, but with everyone using smartphones, it’s becoming less and less common to actually have the photos printed. This unique gift can then be given to commemorate a memory of whatever the image might be.

Super Secret Sunday Sale! This is the Day you Save MONEY!

Hi Friends!

I have a few questions for you. Do you still send out cards for birthdays, anniversaries  or even congrats on the new baby? Card sending seemed to be a dying art but I will tell you that since all the COVID-19 business more people are sending and receiving mail that isn't junk mail.

I love making cards and sending them. I decided to start making more to send. Then I had people wanting to buy my cards so I opened my ETSY shop to make that easier. 

Some of you knew already that I opened my ETSY Shop, SusieQsCraftyCafe. I started it last month to sell handmade greeting cards and other gift ideas. Right now my shop is full of cards for all occasions and some gift stickers & magnets.

On Sundays I have a secret sale for my followers. I do hope you check it out.

What type of cards do you mail out the most? The least? What type of cards are you looking for? Check out my shop and let me know if you don't see something you need. 

Oh and all my cards are custom made. So when you order you get to pick your color choice and if you want writing inside the card.

Thank you my friends!

Healthy Green Goddess Dressing and Cobb Salad Recipe

Who loves a good Cobb salad? Hands up here because I do! I actually LOVE salads made anywhere and by anyone but myself. I just have a few salad recipes I have ever loved over the years made by my own hands. Other than that I love salads made by others and from restaurants. I'm not sure why they always taste better elsewhere.

Super Easy Chicken Lime Fiesta Bowl Recipe

Get it while it's HOT! One-bowl recipes are IN right now! They are easy to make and perfect for quick summer meals. This meal takes 30 minutes to make. I will share the recipe if you do me a HUGE favor? Please don't let my husband know how easy this recipe is to make.

Chicken Lime Fiesta Bowl
Servings 6


Ingredients
1 box of Zatarain's® Cilantro Lime Rice Mix
1 Tbsp butter for rice mix
1 can black beans
4-6 avocados
1 batch Pico de Gallo (my easy recipe) or salsa
1 bunch cilantro
2 limes
2 jalapeños
1 lb. chicken breast
2 cans Rotel Tomatoes (diced tomatoes with chilies)


Directions
1. Cook rice according to the box. It takes 25 minutes so start this first.
-Follow cooking instructions.

2. Next immediately start chicken. Put chicken in a pan with a lid.
-Dump in both cans of Rotel tomatoes with 1/2 cup of water. Let simmer with lid on.
-After 15 minutes turn chicken over. Let cook another 10-15 minutes.
-Then shred chicken and keep in pan with lid on until ready to serve. You keep on low
if done before ready to serve.

3. While food cooking prep rest of ingredients. I put all in separate containers.
-Open can of beans, rinse with water and let drain.
-Coarse chop up avocado. Each serving gets 1 avocado or 1/2 if you prefer.
Only cut what you need for this meal.
-Coarse chop cilantro.
-Cut lime into wedges.
-Coarse chop jalapeños

4. Make Pico de Gallo or use salsa. If you are making mine, make sure to get the
ingredients, too! It is super easy.

5. Put it all together. I love this part of bowl recipes. Everyone can make their own.
Just so you know, the rice & chicken do not need to be hot to serve this. I keep all
ingredients separate and put away in fridge for next meal.

6. Kitchen Tips: Make it quicker by cooking chicken in the Instant Pot.
Same ingredients. Time will be 10-12 minutes. Or I've been known to grab cooked
chicken from the store. Do whatever works for you. Switch up any of the ingredients
that suits your family. No black beans in the pantry but you have refried beans or
great northern? Use them. Make it your way!

ENJOY! 

Here are a few other recipes you might enjoy, too!

Eggy Tostadas

Avocado Feta Salsa
Easy Mango Salsa
Salsa Baked Goat Cheese Its
Tecate Fresh Salsa
Pico De Gallo and Chilled Avocado Soup
Gazpacho dip
Salsa for a Year Recipe
Pico De Gallo
Triple XXX Salsa
and check out these Healthy Summer Grilling recipes!

DIY Tutorial: Turn Stained-Glass Windows into Printable to Color

Hello Friends!

For almost 4 years I have wanted to turn our church stained-glass windows into printable black and white sheets for our school & church kids to color. When this was originally on my mind I didn't give a thought to it that adults would want to color as well. I also didn't think that anyone else would want a lesson on how to do this! Boy have a learned a lot the past two months! Everyone wants to color and do this with their church windows. So here goes a small tutorial.

Instead of writing all of this out I made a video and uploaded it to YouTube. It is very basic. For you to make your own black and white printables you will need an iPad, Apple Pencil, and Procreate App. Can you use a Surface? Can you use Android? Please check into that. I do not have those devices. These instructions are for Apple products. I'm sure you can even use other apps. Feel free to use the basic design tips I'm sharing and make it work for your devices.

In the video I roughly show you how to turn your stained-glass windows into printables. I do not go into deep detail. It is more of a quick overview. I will gladly share more in-depth videos if it is needed. It is highly recommend by me that you get the Procreate app and start playing with it using my first tutorial. It took me 3 windows to get my stride. Once I'm done with all of our windows I plan on going back and redoing the first 5 because I learned a lot of new tricks just by doing them.

Feel free to follow me on YouTube (where I have this video and a few others. I will keep adding more.) Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest to ask me questions about this process. I will be doing more post and sharing links to the printables I've already made so you can print & color! Watch my video and ask questions. By doing that I will know what specific videos I need to make. I can also have you join in a ZOOM meeting or Facebook LIVE event to show you more.

With being separated from our Church for the past few months I feel as though this was the perfect time to create these black & white printables for my church. What a great way for everyone to connect with their church while being separated from weekly Church Services.

While creating these printables and coloring them on the iPad I have found this as a great way to connect with scripture. Each window has a scripture verse. I also prayed for the families who donated the windows. Now it is time for you to connect with your church family by creating your own stained-glass window printables!

Here is one of the free printables.

Matthew 11:28

3 Ways to Treat Your Skin

Your skin puts up with quite a bit daily. From sun damage to pollutants in the air, there are so many things that are seemingly out to get your skin. Due to this, it is a good idea to treat your skin from time to time. Not only can certain things help keep your pores clean and your skin fresh, but you might be able to lessen some of the key signs of aging that generally appear on your face.

Here are three ways you can treat yourself and spoil your skin.

1. Laser Skin Care

It might sound overly extravagant, but laser skincare is one of the best ways in which you can spoil your skin. Not only can specific treatments reduce wrinkle appearance, but others will leave your skin rejuvenated and illuminated. 

When you choose to treat yourself in this way, you trust the expertise of a qualified physician who can no doubt help you reach your skincare goals. Because of the nature of these procedures, you will want to go with a physician who can back their knowledge of skincare with plenty of experience. YLSC, for instance, is a clinic that specializes in these treatments and is trusted by clients for all their skincare needs.

2. Eat Right

One thing that you can do to spoil your skin every single day is to eat the right foods for optimal skin cell protection and regeneration. Furthermore, stay far away from foods that are known to result in damage to your skin from the inside out. Too much salt can make your skin dehydrated and rough, while too much sugar can result in a dull and listless appearance. 

Instead, opt for foods right in omega-3 fatty acids, which help your skin cells to regenerate faster. Because omega-3s don’t naturally occur in the body, your only chances of reaping the skincare benefits they bring are to consume them through the foods you eat. Go for fish like salmon and mackerel that are full of omega-3s. Certain nuts and seeds like walnuts and chia seeds are also excellent sources of this super supplement.

3. Exfoliate

Exfoliating your skin is an excellent and easy way to rid the surface of your skin from dead cells and debris. When you leave such things on your skin’s surface, the result can be a dull look. Moreover, when dead skin cells settle in the fine lines of your face, it can highlight their appearance. You can always treat yourself to an exfoliating facial, but for the best results, it is a good idea to add an exfoliation product to your weekly skincare routine.

Keep in mind that exfoliation is something that should be done every day. You don’t want to completely rid your skin of its natural oils, and you certainly don’t want to damage the new skin cells that form on the surface. Instead, once a week seems to be the right frequency with which to exfoliate your skin.