Keeping my Twins Healthy with Baby Probiotics

Friday, November 30, 2018

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This post is sponsored by Evivo but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.


Since the moment I found out we were expecting twins, they have changed everything that I know about pregnancy and motherhood.  If you've kept up with my blog, then you know I had a fairly easy pregnancy considering I was carrying two.  However, it was nothing compared to my first two pregnancies.  They were a piece of cake.

I never had any sickness, I stayed active and I didn't have any swelling until the last week.  I even worked until my due date with my first.  The twins, on the other hand, were exhausting.  I gained double the weight (as expected) and swelled like you wouldn't believe.  I had back pain, heartburn, you name it.  I was definitely making up for my prior easy pregnancies.

Giving birth to them was another experience that was completely different and resulted in me learning more about how important it is to make sure they are getting all the right nutrients from me, including probiotics.  I am still working on my birth story, but spoiler alert, I gave birth naturally to Molly and two hours later ended up having a C-section with Kathryn.



Did you know that as result of Kathryn being born via c-section that she is likely missing the good bacteria B. infantis, allowing many harmful bacteria to thrive. 

These bad bacteria are linked to higher risk of colic, eczema, allergies, diabetes, and obesity.  This basically means you or your baby did not come in direct contact with mom’s beneficial gut bacteria. This good bacteria helps develop a healthy gut microbiome in your baby and could have long-term health benefits.  This is critical for the the first 6 months of baby's life for immune and metabolic development. 

Since three of my four babies were born naturally, I had no idea about this and how important it is for me to do something about it for my twins. 

That's why I've made the decision to use Evivo.  It is the first and only clinically-proven probiotic for babies.  Evivo contains no artificial colors, dyes, flavors, or preservatives; is free of additives, and is gluten-free.  It is also clinically proven to restore B. infantis to baby’s gut and reduce bad bacteria that is linked to a higher risk of health issues, now and later in life.  How amazing is that?!



How do you know if baby’s gut is healthy? Thankfully, there’s now a simple 3 question Baby Gut Check you can take that will reveal if baby is one of 9 out of 10 infants missing B. infantis: 
Question 1: Were you OR your baby born via C-section?
Question 2: Were you OR your baby given antibiotics pre-delivery or post pregnancy?
Question 3: Does your baby have diaper rash OR 5+ watery poops per day? 

If you answered yes to one or more of these questions your baby’s gut may be in jeopardy.
Click here to learn more about the benefits and kits Evivo has to offer. And right now you can get $10 off a 4 week starter kit using BLOG10181 OR $20 off an 8 week or greater starter kit using BLOG10182 to start using the benefits that Evivo has to offer your baby's gut health!
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The Twins First Bath and Why We are Choosing JOHNSON'S baby

Monday, October 22, 2018

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This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #GetJohnsonsBaby #ChooseGentle #CollectiveBias

Hover over the image above for more product information and how to purchase.

Our twins finally got their first baths at home and they loved it!  Kathryn was hesitant at first, but warmed up to it.

I've been a mom for four years now and for the last four years I have trusted and relied on JOHNSON'S® baby products for my girls.  Bringing newborn twins home, I knew things wouldn't be any different this time around.  It's a brand that I trust, especially on their delicate newborn skin.  I mean, it's easy to trust a brand that even the hospital provides for your newborn's first bath and I know that I'm choosing a product that's gentle and more naturally derived.




Giving the twins their first bath at home was so special and something we were looking forward to.  Bath time for my older girls has always been a great way to end the day and I was excited to start a bedtime routine with Molly and Kathryn.  

Did you know that JOHNSON'S® baby products have been reformulated to be more gentle, with new packaging and with more easy-to-use pumps?  That definitely makes life easier for me now that I have two newborns to bathe along with two toddlers.  I love that I can continue to use this for all of my kids and that it's free of parabens, phthalates and is hypoallergenic.


JOHNSON’S® never stops raising the bar when it comes to what’s best for baby – their unwavering commitment to safety and innovation is the foundation for everything they do.  We all want what's best for our babies, so why not choose the best products?

Kathryn





Molly

We always finish with JOHNSON'S® bedtime lotion!  It smells just as amazing as the wash and helps continue to soothe the twins and help them transition to bed for the night.  It's the perfect way to end our nightly bath time routine.  What does your bedtime/bathtime routine look like?




You can pick up JOHNSON'S Bedtime moisture wash, shampoo and lotion at your nearest Target and right now, you can also receive a sample by clicking here.


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Introducing Molly and Kathryn!

Friday, October 19, 2018

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Introducing Molly James and Kathryn Julia!  Our precious rainbow babies made their debut on Friday, September 14th, 2018 at 38 weeks.  Molly joined us at 9:32am weighing 5lbs even and 18 1/2 inches long.  Kathryn joined us at 11:38am weighing 5lbs 14 oz and 19 1/4 inches long.  We couldn't be happier to have them complete our family.  






Birth Story (and soooo many more photos) coming soon!
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How we Found Out Our BIG News | Part 2

Friday, September 28, 2018

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Life has clearly been a little crazy around the Funk household for the last several months that I just realized that I never finished sharing how we found out we were expecting TWINS!  I mean, now that our twin girls are two weeks old, better late than never :)

After sharing with my husband that we were expecting, I immediately called my doctor and scheduled my first OB appointment at 8 weeks pregnant.  I was about 4 weeks pregnant when we found out.  I have always known pretty early on with all of my pregnancies.


Around 6 weeks pregnant, I started having some bleeding.  It wasn't a lot, but after having a miscarriage less than 6 months prior, it felt the same.  I wasn't having any pregnancy symptoms anymore and the bleeding continued.  I decided not to call my doctor and wait for my scheduled appointment to find out what was going on.  If I was having another miscarriage, I wasn't prepared to find out yet and there would be nothing anyone could do to stop it anyhow.

The day before my appointment, I started having severe cramping.  It was so painful that I had to call my husband to come home, which is something that I never do, so you have to know that it was pretty bad.  I literally couldn't walk, stand or sit without being in excruciating pain.  I assumed at that point that I was having a miscarriage and was body was going to do it naturally. (I had to have a D/C with my last miscarriage)

I called my doctor to let them know what was going on and they agreed that it did in fact sound like I was trying to miscarry, especially after having some bleeding.  They advised me to take some Tylenol and try to get comfortable.  They changed my morning appointment to a "confirmation of miscarriage" appointment and I was to get an ultrasound first.

That was a hard and sleepless night for me.

That next morning, my husband and I went to my appointment as scheduled and prepared to hear them tell us that we had lost the baby.

We had absolutely no idea what God had in store for us.  It was one of those moments that you wish you would have known ahead of time what was going to happen.  I would have definitely recorded that moment.

We got called in right away for the ultrasound.  The tech, who was very sensitive to the situation, began the ultrasound and shortly after let out a very excited squeal and said TWINS!

We were shocked!!

My husband's response was hilarious!  And went a little something like, " Wait. What? No! No! Noooo!"  We were definitely the talk of the office after that, especially since they all heard him.

I, on the other hand, was very confused. I was laughing and crying and had no idea what was going on. It was a circus!

Needless to say, that was a big surprise and we couldn't have been more grateful leaving that appointment.  
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Third Trimester | Twins Bumpdate

Tuesday, September 11, 2018

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Twins Bumpdate: It's baby time!


How far along?
Currently 37 weeks!  I obviously haven't blogged in almost two months and with good reason.  I've been exhausted, we moved out of state, I was put on partial bed rest and I have two toddlers at home to take care of.  The last few months have flown by and to be completely honest, I haven't been motivated to blog.  I know I will regret this, so here I am with what will be my last #bumpdate!

Babies are the size of?
Ummm....they are huge!  At least for twins.  My OB has been so impressed with their growth and they are both measuring the same. (17in each; 6lbs each)

Total weight gain/loss?
20lbs - I know this probably doesn't seem like a lot in my situation, but I was around 15lbs overweight when I got pregnant due to the miscarriage I had last Summer.


Are you showing?
I finally had to ask my husband to help me put my socks and shoes on.  I can barely put on pants by myself anymore.  I bump into everything.

Cravings?
For the first time this pregnancy, I am waking up so hungry in the middle of the night.  I am basically eating anything and everything and still have a pretty bad sweet tooth.

Sleeping?
I get decent sleep maybe once every two to three nights.  The other nights I am up every two hours and it takes me at least 45 minutes to fall back asleep.

Symptoms?
Where do I start.  My feet are still very swollen, I've started having some crazy, painful contractions, heartburn, I'm waddling, stretch marks like you wouldn't believe and back pain.  Seriously, all the pregnancy symptoms.
 
Genders?
TWINS GIRLS!  If you haven't seen our gender reveal, you can watch the video here and read my blog post here.

Movement?
My stomach looks like a scene from an alien movie.  It's crazy how much they are both moving.  Baby B moves way more than Baby A.

Mood this month?
Anxious! We are so ready for our twins to be here.

Best moments of July and August?
I don't know where to start!  I turned 31.  We bought our home in Indiana.  I finally met my new OB which was a huge relief.   I had a mommy daughter date with my oldest. We enjoyed Kentucky and the girls swam pretty much every day.  We were finally reunited with my husband who was finishing up work in Florida.  My MIL moved in with us to help with my girls since I was put on partial bed rest.  At 33 weeks I was already dilated 3cm and we prepared ourselves for a stay in NICU.  I became a contributor for Gugu Guru, an online parenting resource!  I've had several OB appointments and each time, the twins are doing great.  I did end up in triage for false labor once and another time to check out a possible blood clot.  I finally had a date night with my husband (probably our last one before the babies come).  We celebrated my husband's birthday and have basically just been enjoying being in our park yard since I'm limited on what I can do.

We are thrilled to finally meet our girls next week when I'll be induced at 38 weeks!

 





A fun campaign I did with Dominos and Gugu Guru!


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27 + 28 Weeks | Twins Bumpdate

Saturday, September 8, 2018

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Twins Bumpdate: 27 + 28 weeks


How far along?
27/28 weeks!  (Hello 3rd Trimester)

Babies are the size of?
Butternut Squash (14in each; 3lbs each)

Total weight gain/loss?
13lbs+

Are you showing?
Yes! Some days I feel huge and clearly look like I'm having twins and some days people are shocked when I tell them.

Cravings?
Fruit and vegetables.  I think it's helped that I've been at my in-laws and they try to eat pretty healthy.

Sleeping?
It's still a hit or miss situation.  Some nights it's decent and some nights I'm up at 3am and can't go back to sleep.

Symptoms?
Just tired.  I can't seem to get enough sleep.  Swelling isn't terrible, but it's definitely still there.
 
Genders?
TWINS GIRLS!  If you haven't seen our gender reveal, you can watch the video here and read my blog post here.

Movement?
My stomach looks like a scene from an alien movie.  It's crazy how much they are both moving.  Baby B moves way more than Baby A.

Mood this week?
A little stressed. 

Best moment this week?
We have officially been in Kentucky for a few weeks now.  I got to do a little house hunting in Indiana while the girls stayed with my in-laws.  My husband flew up and met me and we put an offer in on a house and it was accepted!  We are anxious to close on our new home and make it our own.  I turned 31 this week, but didn't really do a lot of celebrating.  I mean, my husband bought us a new home, so that was a pretty big deal.  We missed fireworks, but had a little glow party in the living room instead.  Oh, and I spent a few hours in triage because my Braxton Hicks were so bad that I couldn't tell if they were actual contractions or not.

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25 + 26 Weeks | Twins Bumpdate

Saturday, July 14, 2018

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Twins Bumpdate: 25 + 26 weeks


How far along?
25/26 weeks!  

Babies are the size of?
Eggplants (10in each; 2lbs each)

Total weight gain/loss?
11lbs+

Are you showing?
Yes! I was actually asked twice this week if I was due any day now! Haha!

Cravings?
I'm still craving Shrimp and Grits...any seafood really.

Sleeping?
It's still a hit or miss situation.  Some nights it's decent and some nights I'm up at 3am and can't go back to sleep.

Symptoms?
Swelling hasn't gone away and I've really bad acid indigestion and heartburn lately.  I get the occasional headache, but that could just be from having toddlers.
 
Genders?
TWINS GIRLS!  If you haven't seen our gender reveal, you can watch the video here and read my blog post here.

Movement?
My stomach looks like a scene from an alien movie.  It's crazy how much they are both moving.  Baby B moves way more than Baby A.

Mood this week?
It's been a bittersweet week for all of us.

Best moment this week?
We found out we would be leaving Florida this week because of a job my husband took in Indiana.  You can read about that here.  With that being said, we put our house on the market and planned as many activities and play dates as we could before we left.  We went to the Crayola Experience, Medieval Times and DISNEY WORLD!  We had a blast but it was exhausting.  We said goodbye and tried to see as many people as we could and love on them before our big trip to the Midwest.

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