To mothers-to-be and pregnant friends...

I felt compelled to write a blog post to my pregnant friends or those who are trying to get pregnant. I am passionate about preconception care and women's health so in light of that, I thought I should write this.

One of the best things you can do as a woman who is pregnant or wanting to get pregnant is to prepare you body. At least 3 months before you want to get pregnant-you should take at least 400mcg of Folic Acid. This simple vitamin has been proven to prevent neural tube defects such as Spina bifida. I would recommend taking a prenatal vitamin at least 3 months before getting pregnant as well as during the duration of your pregnancy and breastfeeding if you decide to breastfeed (breastfeeding info is a whole other post).

Make sure your immunizations are up to date. If you haven't had any vaccines in a long time, you should for sure check with your Gyne or midwife about this. Especially chicken pox and rubella are very important to check into as these can be extremely dangerous to the baby. Also-the flu vaccine is a must for pregnant mothers!

It is also important for your body to be in general good health. If you are overweight, even losing 10% of your BMI is huge! THis can decrease your rates of having difficulties in pregnancy as well as in your general health. Also, make sure to stop drinking, alcohol or drugs as well as exposure to toxic chemicals and fumes. All of these have been attributed to possible birth defects, as well as mental development. This can help prevent developmental disorders.

Another important thing is to get a check up-especially with your midwife or gyne to make sure you have no infections or other problems.

If you have questions-check out the CDC or March of Dimes
Their websites are:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/preconception/default.htm
http://www.marchofdimes.com/pregnancy/getready_10steps.html

El Ano Nuevo (the New Year)

On New Year’s eve, we experienced a very different celebration here in Ecuador. The traditions are quite different here, but fun. We had a great time learning and experiencing this with our friends the Burbanos. 1-2 days before New Year’s eve, we began to see paper mache dolls representing the old year. On New year’s eve, starting in the afternoon, ‘the widows’ of the old year come into the streets, stopping cars and asking for money. These ‘widows’ are typically men dressed up as women. We would like to say that this money is used for something good, but the ‘widows’ use it for alcohol. At midnight, to represent the new year coming in, people burn the doll representing the year past.

Additionally, we went down to a street in the tourist district to see large paper mache dolls that were in a contest with other businesses. People were very dressed up, similar to Halloween. It was quite the sight. It was very fun to experience this. Here are some pics to show you a little more what we saw.

The family in front of a big display of figures representing the 'old year'



Los Munecos (the dolls) of the old year



Olga and Caleb


Henry, Joel, Caleb and Simeon