Most Popular Articles

by DP Nguyen

Welcome to My Pregnancy Baby – “Hip Chick’s Guide to PMS, Pregnancy, and Babies” – your one stop shop for women’s health, pregnancy, and baby articles.

If you’re interested in a specific topic, please click in the navigation bar above for all the main categories (and subcategories). You’re also welcome to search my blog (see the right sidebar) for any topics that you might be interested in.

There are 350+ articles on this blog, and I’m always adding more content that I think may interest my readers. To help you get started, I’ve compiled a list of the most popular articles on my blog. Bookmark them and share them with your friends.

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Top Holiday Gift Ideas for the Pregnant Mom
7 Mother’s Day Gifts for the Mom-to-Be
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Sleep Regression at 8 Months: Tips and Tricks to Cope

by DP Nguyen Leave a Comment

Getting a good night’s sleep is hard enough for any parent with a baby, but the sleep regression at eight months is killer. By eight months old, your baby most likely has established a good sleeping routine, has been sleeping great for months… and then BAM, he/she suddenly decides to shake up your world by NOT napping, NOT sleeping as well as he/she used to, fighting sleep. It’s rough!

It’s very common for sleep regression to occur at 4 months, 8 months, and 18 months old. These often occur in conjunction with developmental leaps. (Didn’t you notice that your baby made some major strides in development at 4-5 months and he/she was super fussy? That’s how it was with my baby.)

At 8 months, your baby’s probably going some mental or developmental leap, plus he/she is teething. For most babies at this age, they already have one or two bottom teeth, but soon the top teeth will be popping up. All of these changes can lead to one cranky baby.

What is sleep regression?

Sleep regression in babies is when a baby who was sleeping well suddenly changes his/her habits. Your baby will start to wake up several times in the night (whereas before, they may have sleep through the night). Your child may start waking up very early in the morning. Your baby who used to take long naps might start to only have cat naps or very short naps. Sometimes, your baby fights napping all together.

At 8 months, my baby who was a great sleeper, great self-soother started to scream every time we tried to put him down for a nap. When he would nap, he’d only sleep for maybe 20 minutes at a time and then be super cranky. He’d wake up every times in the night, whereas previously he’d only wake up once. Then he’d wake up at 3am and be awake for the day. It was very exhausting for us!

The 8 Month Sleep Regression

The 8 month sleep regression can occur anytime between 8 to 10 months. At this time, there’s a lot of brain activity and change. Your baby’s brain development is going through rapid changes. Your child may be learning to crawl, pulling up, making more language connections (with “mama” and “dada” sounds). Often, many moms find that sleep regressions occur when your baby is on the verge of a milestone.

So it’s good news… you’ll just be very tired during this stage of baby development.

So what’s an exhausted parent to do when their baby is going through a sleep regression? Here are some tips that may help you cope.

Change your sleep schedule. If your baby is waking up extra early in the morning, you may want to go to bed earlier so you can catch extra zzz’s. Go to bed at the same time as your baby, even if this means you’re in bed by 8pm. This way you’re more alert in the wee hours of the morning when the baby needs you. Also, take naps whenever your baby is napping. Sleep regressions are super exhausting, so you should get all the sleep you can get.

Give your baby extra feedings. During sleep regressions, your baby is going through major developmental changes and possibly growth spurts. He/she may need more to eat to help him/her sleep more soundly during naps and at night. A full tummy always helps babies sleep better.

Keep your routine the same – Try keeping your daily routine the same. Try putting your baby down for naps at the same time you used to. And make sure your baby has a calm, soothing nursery atmosphere. You may want to use a white noise machine to help him/her sleep.

Resist giving in to your baby. Although it’s tempting to always let your baby sleep in your arms, especially if he/she won’t self-soothe like he/she used to, you don’t want to start any bad habits that will be hard to break later.

If your baby needs a few more minutes of cuddling before you set him/her down in the crib, it’s okay to do that. Just be careful about not always nursing him/her to sleep, or always holding him/her to sleep. This can cause bad habits later on.

If you were doing sleep training, like cry it out, continue to practice that.

Don’t be embarrassed to ask for help. Sleep regressions are really hard and exhausting, so ask for your help if you need it. Maybe your best friend or mom can come over during the day, so you can catch an extra nap. Ask your partner to take shifts with you. Try to take care of your emotional and mental health during this hard period.

How long will the 8 month sleep regression last?

Fortunately, sleep regressions will go away in 1-2 months, no more than six weeks. It won’t be long before your baby who was sleeping well will go back to sleeping great. Just hang in there until then.

How to Cope with Postpartum Pain

by DP Nguyen Leave a Comment

Postpartum pain was the worst part of my labor and delivery experience. (I had a vaginal birth in a hospital. It was a 24 hour labor, and I had a small second degree vaginal tear while delivering).

One thing no one tells you about giving birth – the pain after having a baby is terrible.

For me, in the first two weeks after giving birth, I was in A LOT of pain. I felt so much pressure down there. My uterus would cramp (it felt like severe period cramps) every time I breastfeed (it was very painful). It hurt to walk around too much. My body felt heavy. Peeing was hard. I had to sleep on my side because lying on my butt hurt. New mom life was hard. I looked terrible. I felt awful.

At one point, I asked my husband, “When is this pain going to end?”

[Read more…]

10 Things Wish I Knew About Breastfeeding

by DP Nguyen 1 Comment

The truth about breastfeeding is it’s freaking hard work. It takes time, dedication, and a commitment to make it successful. You’re going to go through some hurtles – maybe a clogged duct here, an engorged breast there – but it’s so worth it in the end.

I absolutely LOVE breastfeeding my son. There’s nothing that makes me feel connected as a mama than nursing my baby. He’s now 7 months old and we are still breastfeeding. I don’t plan to stop nursing until at least a year old.

I’ve had a very successful breastfeed journey, but I do want to share 10 things I wish I knew about breastfeeding before I got started. I hope that this article helps some of you expecting mamas out there.

I’m not a lactation consultant, but I’ve successfully nursed my baby since he was born. This is my story.

[Read more…]

Reasons for a Missed Period When You’re Not Pregnant

by DP Nguyen 2,440 Comments

What are the most common reasons for missing your period when you’re not pregnant? In this article, I’ll explain the top 16 reasons why you might be skipping your period this month.

Let’s face it – missing your period is honestly one of the scariest feelings, especially if you don’t want to be pregnant. I’ve missed a few periods in my lifetime, and it always makes my heart skip a beat. Before I was married, the thought of being pregnant was literally the worst idea ever.

For a majority of women, missing a period is often the first sign that you’re pregnant. First thing’s first, go buy and take a home pregnancy test immediately. I’d recommend taking at least 2 to be sure.

[Read more…]

THINX Review – I Tried THINX Period Underwear

by DP Nguyen Leave a Comment

This THINX Period Underwear review is two years in the making. I’ve been using THINX for awhile now, so I finally wanted to blog about my experience using them.

Throughout two decades of having periods, I’ve only used pads. (Tampons just aren’t for me.) Buying pads month after month add up, and in the effort to save money long-term and to help the environment, I bought period underwear from THINX.

I was super excited when I first learned about them. I am someone with slightly irregular periods – my period isn’t a normal 28-day cycle, but it can fluctuate between 32 and 35 days, with some months it’s 37 days. This is just how my body operates.

I use a period app on my phone to keep track of when my period plans to arrive, and it does an amazing job of keeping track … but I still have period accidents (i.e. I think my period is coming in two days, and it ends up coming today, and I end up bleeding all over my regular underwear and jeans). Period accidents are embarrassing to say the least, and I’ve had A LOT of period accidents in the past decade.

So I was super excited about THINX Period Underwear. The company has a variety of different types, and new styles seem to appear every day.

The heavier day ones can hold up to two tampons worth, according to the company website. When I learned this, I was like YAY! Finally, I can wear have my period without feeling like I’m wearing an uncomfortable wet diaper. Wahoo!

So I went out and spent about $200 on an assortment of THINX Underwear. They are expensive underwear – they range from $24 to $38 each.

I own the Hiphugger (Heavy, 2 tampons worth), Sport (Medium, 1.5 tampon’s worth, and Cheeky (Light, 1 tampon’s worth).

THINX is NOT, NOT, NOT for Heavy or Medium Days.

The first time I used THINX (brand new, never washed), they worked amazing. I slept in my Hiphugger and when I woke up, no explosion of blood, no staining on my PJs … then I washed them.

I followed the instructions on their website – I rinsed them by hand (a little gross to see all the blood that’s come out of your body), and I washed them in my cold wash with a gentle detergent. I hung my underwear dry.

After I washed them, the THINX experience was terrible.

On their website, they warn not to use fabric softener because it prevents the antimicrobial and moisture-wicking properties of their period underwear from working. I DID NOT use fabric softener, and my underwear felt ineffective the second time around.

The second time I wore my THINX underwear, I was having a heavy to medium day. About an hour or two of wearing THINX, my period underwear felt wet. It’s not a pleasant feeling. It makes you feel gross in fact. It was as if the underwear wasn’t absorbing my blood, and it was just pooling there. An hour later, I had bled through the underwear and a red blotch appeared on my pants. REALLY UPSETTING since I was at work.

I learned very quickly that THINX period underwear is only meant for pretty light days. Unfortunately, it’s not a pair of underwear you can wear all day. You need to change it at least once, or it gets super smelly. Even on a light day, by the end of the day, the THINX underwear smells like dirty vag. Thinx period panties smell bad. Seriously. It’s disgusting.

In the end, I still have my THINX underwear. However, I use them as backup under my washable cloth menstrual pads. The washable pads are MUCH BETTER at absorbing all my menstrual blood. (I now use Heart Felt Reusable Cloth Menstrual Pads, and they work amazing!)

Sometimes I wear my THINX period underwear on days where I think my period might start (to prevent accidents). I also wear them on light days toward the end of my cycle.

Unfortunately in my experience, they just aren’t meant as a replacement for traditional menstrual pads. They are great as back-up, but you shouldn’t use them alone on heavier days.

A last word on the quality – the lacing at the top of the THINX underwear is cute, but it starts to come apart after awhile. The lacy part of my oldest pairs of THINX underwear are tattered now. For such an expensive price, I honestly expected them to last longer than they have.

In general, I think they are still a great product for days you’re expecting your period, or on light days.

To learn more about THINX, visit their website.

Have you used THINX Underwear? What do you think of them? Let me know in the comments below!

This is not sponsored by THINX. Every single pair of Thinx underwear I bought using my own money. However, this post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclaimer for more info.

Why Did I Miss My Period?

by DP Nguyen 2 Comments

There’s absolutely nothing worse than the anxiety that goes with missing your period. Whether you track your menstrual cycles, or whether you intuitively know that this is the time your period is supposed to come … what do you do?